Ferrets are sold under the name Fitch. Each year 15,000 are raised for their fur, primarily in Finland, but also in Sweden, New Zealand and Poland. In late November the Ferret’s fur becomes ‘prime’ and reaches its highest commercial value. They come in a wide variety of colors to include sable, albino, cinnamon, silver, white with black eyes, chocolate, Siamese, panda, and Shetland sable. The Ferret’s hair will thicken in the winter and lighten in
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The Fisher resembles a house cat in body size and shape but has shorter legs and a longer wedge-shaped snout. The fur is a dark brown to black and as the animal becomes older, the tips of the hair become frosted. The male’s hair is coarser; therefore the female pelts are more desirable to the fur trapper. Fishers will commonly travel 2-3 miles each day and while they are arboreal to some degree, most hunt
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Fox fur comes in many different colors and is found all over the world. The popularity of it being ranched in the US was once high but now it is more often ranched in Scandinavia, Norway, Russia, and other countries in Europe. Ranching fox allows farmers to create more colors, combine, and blend natural colors through mutation. Fox fur is soft, long, and fluffy. It can last a long time but must be properly maintained
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Frog skin leather is prized for its beauty and durability. The tanning process creates a product that is extremely soft and supple. After tanning, the leather can be finished in a variety of colors. Toad/frog leather has a fine, smooth grain. Bullfrog skin creates a leather that is soft and smooth yet retains a characteristic bumpy pattern. This exotic leather can be used in the manufacture of wallets, purses, shoe uppers, hats and gun holsters.
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Named after the French naturalist Geoffroy St. Hilaire, Geoffroy’s cat is found in a geographical range that covers practically the entire South America continent. Geoffroy’s cat is a small, lightly built, spotted cat, which is highly variable in coloration. The northern animals are colored a brilliant ochre, while the southern ones are more silvery gray, known as the silver phase. It is covered all over with equally placed small dark brown or black spots. On
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Kid gloves were commonly worn from the from the nineteenth to the early twentieth century and are still made today. Goatskin leather is softer than cow skin leather and tougher than sheepskin leather. It is used for shoes and boots, jackets and other clothing that require a soft durable leather. Cashmere goats produce a cashmere fiber that is extremely fine and soft. Cashmere is used for quality sweaters and men’s sports jackets, but can also
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Guanacos are found in South America. They are related to camels but are smaller in size with a longer layer of guardhair and a shorter, wooly, thick layer of soft downy underfur. Their fur color is mostly a variation of brown or reddish brown with white. These colors help guanacos blend into the grassy and desert regions they inhabit and roam. Written by Furwise.com
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The Jaguar is found in Central and South America (as opposed to the leopard, which comes from Africa and Asia) although they have also been seen in Southwestern United States. One simple way to distinguish the fur of the jaguar is to look at the spot pattern. Although we say leopards and jaguars have spots, some of the markings aren’t really spots at all. The markings form rings, which may or may not be solid
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The fur of the kangaroo comes from two species that are harvested. The Eastern Grey and the Western Red. The Eastern Grey measures up to 6 feet. Fur is long and gray with brown flecks. The Western Red is the largest of the species measuring up to 8 feet. Kangaroos live in arid or semi-arid climates so their coats are usually short. The female red is actually a blue-gray color. The skins are usually chrome
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The fur from Sheep and Lamb is incredibly warm, hardwearing, practical and acceptable to wear in today’s anti-fur society, as it is a by-product of an animal that is also a food source. There are multiple different types of Lamb. Some of them look quite similar while others look quite different. There has been much confusion over the identification of the many varieties of sheep and lamb fur treatments and breeds. Generally speaking, Persian Lamb,
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The leopard is most easily recognized by its rosette patterned coat and extremely long, dark tail. This large cat is sometimes confused in appearance with the South American jaguar but the leopard is less stocky and (unlike the jaguar) its rosette markings are generally smaller and have no internal spots. The base coloration of the coat also varies greatly depending upon location, ranging from golden/yellow in open grasslands, to yellow/cream in desert areas to deep
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Lipi Cat is a name used in the fur industry for Chinese Leopard Cat. It is one of the a subspecies of the small Asian Leopard Cat which is found across Southern and Eastern Asia. There are many subspecies of the small Asian Leopard cat but Chinese Leopard Cat is the only one internationally traded. Most are listed as endangered species but Chinese Leopard Cats are allowed to be traded with regulation, proper permitting, and
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Lizard skins are used for boots, shoes, handbags, cuffs, belts, and wallets. The hides are very thin yet not prone to tearing, making them useful for hand-stitching applications Written by The Vintage Fashion Guild
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The outer coarse guard hair of llamas is used primarily for rugs, wall hangings and ropes. The finer undercoat is used for garments. Found mainly in South America, the color ranges from white to brown and black. A hollow fiber, llama is very warm for its weight. It has a natural capacity to regulate moisture (wicking). Llama garments shed moisture and are warm when wet. Alpacas are members of the llama family. Alpaca is used
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The lynx is a medium size cat with a fluffy snow-white coat with black spots that is still rare and precious. Lynx are indigenous to North America and Russia, the more expensive coming from Russia. The ‘belly’ of the pelt is usually whiter and has longer fur and is more expensive, compared to the “back,” which is usually flatter and has more brown shadings. Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley
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Marabou is term often misused, as genuine marabou is no longer available for fashion use. True marabou feathers were from a member of the stork family found in the Arabian Peninsula and were fairly costly. Marabou feathers are characterized by their very fine, dense, downy and very fluffy short nap (length), and are velvety soft. Marabou was sometimes used as a fur substitute in the 19th century, as well as dress trimmings and muffs, and
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The margay is often confused with its near relatives, the Ocelot and the Oncilla. Their coats are very similar. Found in South America, the margay has been called the “tree ocelot” or “long tailed cat”. The fur is soft and plush, brownish yellow to tan with black blotches, spots and stripes in longitudinal rows. Weight is 9-20 pounds and it is 34-52 inches in length. The center of each spot or rosette is slightly paler
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Usually marmots are uniformly colored but mountain forms can have brightly colored belly hair. Stripes or spots are found only on the woodchuck, yellow-bellied and, to a lesser extent, alpine marmots, which have ‘sparkles’ on the back and sides of the body. Fur on the head and back is often darker than on the belly. Light coloration is more or less characteristic, not only of the belly and sides of the body but also of
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Found primarily in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the marten includes 5 subspecies including the marten, Newfoundland pine marten, eastern marten, western marten, and the Rocky Mountain marten. The Northwest Territories, the winter coat starts growing in mid-October. The fur is basically brown but varies from almost black to a yellowish-brown color that is darker on the legs and tail and lighter on the head and under parts. The throat has an orange or yellow
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Mink from the wilderness is referred to as wild mink. Farmed mink is referred to as ranched mink. Mink comes in a variety of colors, sometimes natural, and sometimes dyed. The mink is a semi aquatic Weasel indigenous to North America, Siberia, China and Japan. Mink was not trapped in any quantity until the 19th century and did not become fashionable until the mid 20th century. Unless sheared, mink is a dense and lightweight fur
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